Adjustable dress form



Jul 21, 1936.

Filed Dec. 25, 1935 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented July 21, 1936 PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE DRESS FOB Boy in Leppelman, Oklahoma City,

Okla, as-

lignor of one-half to Loftin E. Marin, Oklallama City. Okla.

Application December 23, 1935, Serial No. 55,814

4 Claim (CL 223-92) My invention relates to dress. forms and more particularly to forms for supporting dresses and other garments for display The prime object of the t invention, is

the provision of a form for garments which may be used in connection with a common or usual coat or garment hanger and which will support the lower or skirt portion of a dress or similar garment independentlyof the upper portion of the garment, thus relieving strain upon the upper portion of the garment.

By usual coat or. garment hanger" is meant a hanger comprising substantially a supporting element, such as a hook, having a cross-bar, usually arcuate, attachedtoits lower end. The crossbar is inserted into the neck opening of the garment and extends beneath its shoulders. The hook may be over any suitable support such as a rod.

Due to the fact that garments, particularly dresses, when'supported at their shoulders upon I usual hangers, hang loosely, and formlessly, it has become common practice to resort for display purposes to forms similar to the human torso in order to more distinctively and pleasingly display the garments..

My device permits the adjustable blousing of a garment waist while being supported by a usual garment hanger. so The invention consists substantially of a preferably flat board or plate of any suitable stiif yet light weight material such as heavy card-board, a cord or similar flexible element removably attached at its upper end to a usual garment han er, the element having a longitudinally adjustable connection with the board. and a means carried by the board for the belt or the belt portion of a garment for holding it folded around the board.

40 Other objects of the present invention are to provide a device of the class described which is new, novel, practical and of utility; which permits a vertical adiusiment between a usual garment hanger and a member therebelow which is 5 supporting the skirt portion of a garment which I has its upper portion supported by the hanger; which is easily and quickly adjusted; which includes a means for holding the middle or belt portion of a garment firmly positioned without 50 the use of pins or other supplementary elements;

which is simple'to install; which is cheap to manufacture; which is durable; and, which will be eflicient in accomplishing all the purposes for which it is intended.

55 Withtheseandotherobiectsinview aswill more fully appear hereinbelow, my invention consists in the construction, novel features, and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described, pointed out in the claims hereto appended, and illustrated in the accompanying one- 5 sheet drawing, of which,-

Figure 1 is a rear elevational view of the device operatively supporting a dress;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the rear face of the device connected to a usual garment hang- 10 er, and illustrating the manner of adjustment;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the device, partially in section;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view showing a slightly different embodiment of the garment en- 15 gaging element; and,

Figure 5 is an end view showing yet another embodiment of the garment engaging means.

Like characters of reference designate like 2 parts in all the figures.

It is understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, shape, weight, material and other details of construction. within the scope of my invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or broad principle of my invention and without sacrificing any of the advantages thereof; and it is also understood that the drawing is to be interpreted as bein illustrative and not restrictive.

The inventive idea involved is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions one of which, for the purpose of illustrating the invention, is shown in the accompanying drawin wherein:' i

The reference numeral l indicates as a whole a dress or similar garment having an upper or waist portion 2, a centralor belt portion 3, a lower or skirt portion 4, and having a girdle or belt 5. The reference numeral 6 indicates as a whole a usual garment or coat hanger consisting substantially 40 of a hook or supporting element 1 adapted to be supported by any means such as a rod 8, and

a, cross-bar 9 connected intermediate its ends to the lower end of the hook I.

The elements above referred to with reference to numerals l to 9 inclusive are not a part of the invention but are, rather, things to which the invention is adapted. a The invention per se includes a string or other flexible element in having a ring, loop or other annular member at its upper end, for instance,

a short section of rubber tube II. The tube II is adapted to flt over the hook 1 and rest upon the upper surface of the cross-bar 9.

A fiat board or plate I! having sta ered through perforations i 3, l4 and I5 is engaged by the element Ill intermediate its ends. The element I is first threaded from the forward face of the board i2 rearwardly through the perforation l3. It extends along the rear face of the board as indicated at i6 and passes through the perforation ii to the forward face of the board from whence it continues" along the forward face as shown at. I! and again passes rearwardly through the perforation l3. From this point the element l0 extends along the rear face of the board to the perforation M as indicated by the reference numeral l8. g

The rear face of the board i2 is equipped with a flat strap-like spring l3 having its lower end attached firmly to the board and having its other end free to be sprung slightly away from theboard. Theofliceof thespring |9willbe more fully described hereinbelow. The board l2 and spring I! are provided with two through perforations 20 and 2!.

From the above described portion ll of the element ID, the element is threaded through the perforation I l to the forward face of the board from whence it extends along the forward face of the board as indicated at 22 and passes rearwardly through the perforation 20. The element then passe along the rear face of the spring i! to the perforation 2i where it passes to the forward face of the ho The remaining portion of the element Ill hangs downward loosely along and below'the forward face of the board 52 as indicated by the reference numerals 23.

In its preferred form the board or plate I2 has two oppositely disposed rounded corner portions 25 and 26, two oppositely disposed inwardly curved side edge portions 21 and 28 which occur directly below the corners 25 and 2 respectively, two oppositely disposed constricted or narrowed side edge portions 23 and 33 which occur next below the portions 21 and 28 respectively, and next below the portions 29 and 30 respectively the board has two oppositely disposed enlarged portions 3| and 32 the edges of which are arcuate as shown. The upper and lower ends 33 and 34 of the board are preferably parallel, and the portions 3i and 32 converge with the end 34 in a manner forming rounded corlners 35 and 36. It is preferred that all edge sinfaces of the board i2 either be bound with a fabric tape, or that they be rounded transversely. All perforationsmay be provided. with grommets if desired.

Operation The garment is first hung upon the hanger 6 in a usual manner. The loop II is then placed over the hook I and is slid along the hook until it surrounds the shank of the hook and rests upon the cross-bar 9'. The hook is then engaged for support with the rod 3. The board i2 is then placed at the back of the garment with the narrow portions 29 and 30 at approximateiy the belt line thereof. The sides of the garment are then folded rearwardly over the rear face of the board with the upper portion of the skirt portion thereof draped'over the portions 3| and 32 of the board. The belt is then drawn tightly across the front of the dress and the surplus rear loop thereof is folded upon itself and inserted between the board and the spring IS. The folds of the belt thus formed may then be adjusted beneath the spring either to loosen or tighten the belt across the front of the dress as desired.

- the cord with the board. Slight vertical adjust- The board is then held by one hand in the approximate desired vertical position with relation to the hanger I and with the other hand the'portion 23 of the element i0 is pulled downwardly causing the cord to travel through the 5 perforations in the board until the portion of the cord lying between the hanger and the board is drawn taut. The board will then be held in its desired position by the frictional engagement of ment may then be made in order to bbtain the desired amount of blouse in the waist, either by slightly raising the board and pulling downward- 1y on the lower end of the cord, or by merely pulling down on the board l2. This operation is clearly illustrated in Fig. 2.

Some dresses do not have a belt and therefore the spring I! will not above. For use with beltless dresses, the rear face of the board I2 is provided with two alined springs 40 and ll which have their free ends oppositely disposed and extended toward oppo site edges of the board. In this instance, the edge portions 2 and 43 of the dress are folded function as described springs 48 and II respectively.

In Fig. 5 an embodiment which maybe used in lieu of the two springs II and ll. In this embodiment a single spring 31 extends transversely of the board l2 and is attached at a medial point to the rear face of the board by any means such as a rivet 38.

From the forego ng description it may be seen that not only is the device valuable as a display medium, but in carrying the garments in stock shape than does the ordinary coat hanger. It also permits the garments to be displayed to advantage individually as they are taken from stock for a prospective customer. It prevents the mussing of one garment by the removal of an adjacent garment from a crowded stock.

It is obvious that the device may be readily piece garments such as Theskirtinthisinstancewillbe its belt portion around board 12 at its narrowest point. The sides of the skirt will then be folded around the board and fastened in position in one of the manners above described with relation to the skirt 4. The coat of the suit will then be hung upon the hanger 5 in a usual manner.

Obviously, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and described herein, and applicable for uses and purposes other than as detailed, and I therefore con sider as my own all such modifications and adaptations and other uses of the form of the de- 00 vice herein described as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described by invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patcut, is: 65

l. The combination with a garment hanger for supporting a garment by engagement with its I shoulder portions, of a substantially flat plate about which the belt portion of a garment supported by the hanger may be folded, a plurality of staggered through perforations in the plate, and a flexible element attached to the hanger and threaded through said perforations, said element and said perforations constituting means to adjustably support said plate in various verfrictional engagement therewith.

\ 2. The combination with a garment hanger for supporting a garment by engagement with its shoulder portions, of a substantially flat plate about which the belt portion of a garment supported by the hanger may be folded, means carried by the plate for holding the garment adjustably in its folded position, a plurality of staggered through perforations in the plate, and a flexible element attached to the hanger and threaded through said perforations, said element adapted to adjustably support said plate in various vertical positions with relation to the hanger by frictional engagement therewith.

3. Organization as described in claim 2, in which the adjustable garment holding means includes a strap spring attached to the plate and having a free end which may be sprung away from the plate for receiving a portion of the garment.

4. In a device of the class described the combination with a shoulder support for garments,

of an element for supporting the belt portion of a garment, a plurality of staggered through perforations in the element, and a flexible longitudinal member having one of its ends attached to said shouldersupport, a portion intermediate its ends threaded through the perforations in said element, and its opposite endhanglng free from said element, and adapted to adjustably suspend said element from said shoulder support.

ROY H. LEPPELMAKI 

